


Start it With a Spark

by TrenchcoatRats



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Sephiroth gets to be a child for once, pure holiday fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21951775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrenchcoatRats/pseuds/TrenchcoatRats
Summary: When Hojo's delayed in a snow storm, Sephiroth is left by himself in the Shinra mansion for the night. But despite that, he's not alone, in fact, it's the closest he's ever felt to people before.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19
Collections: FF7 Secret Santa 2019





	Start it With a Spark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Up_sideand_down](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Up_sideand_down/gifts).



Sephiroth’s not allowed to be in the lab unsupervised. Unsupervised meaning that Hojo isn’t hovering over his shoulder with a variety of unpleasant tests scheduled for his day, carefully structured and divided to allow for as few lapses in activity as possible. And yet, he’s been sitting on the edge of the examination table for seven minutes now, while two assistants move furiously around the lab trying to get a signal on their PHS in a basement without leaving him alone. It takes them another two minutes to realize that one of them can stay with him while the other goes upstairs. 

The assistant that stays with him is newer, nervously glancing at Sephiroth every few seconds, as if he’ll suddenly vanish, or attack the assistant. He’s obviously going to do neither, the last thing he wants to do is cause further delays when the professor does arrive. He doesn’t enjoy it when Hojo chooses to run additional tests out of spite. The other assistant is well-seasoned, a constant in the daily routine within the lab, and the echoing sound of his footsteps are cut off as he seals the entrance to the basement behind him. Sephiroth doesn’t think his hearing is advanced enough to hear the professor through a PHS several hundred feet away from him, above him, and through walls, but he does appreciate the thoroughness.

After another five minutes, making this the longest delay he’s ever experienced, the other assistant begins coming down the stairs again. When he comes back into the room, the new assistant visibly sags in relief before dragging his coworker a few feet away, as if that makes any difference in Sephiroth’s hearing.

“So, what’s going on? Did you get ahold of the professor?”

“Yeah, I did. He’s caught in an awful snowstorm on the other side of the mountain. He’s safe, but he won’t be able to make it for a few more days.”

“Shame, I’d be glad to never have to come back to this Shiva-damned place.”

A laugh, before there’s a loud shushing sound. Neither of them have accurate knowledge of the extent of his abilities, regardless of their experience it seems.

“Quiet, we don’t want to be overheard.”

“Yeah yeah, what’d the professor want us to do?”

“He...didn’t really say? He just said that we weren’t to commence with any experiments or tests without him there.”

A quiet snort, followed by “Yeah sure, as if we  _ want _ to be doing this freaky shit longer than we have to.”

Sephiroth doesn’t know how he feels about falling into the category of “freaky shit”, frowning slightly as he continues to listen in.

“So if there’s nothing for us to do, do we even have to stay here? I’ve got my partner staying back at the inn and you live here with your family, right?”

“Yeah, I do, but can we really just leave like this? We can’t just...leave the specimen here can we?”

“The  _ specimen _ . I know we aren’t supposed to treat him like a kid, but honestly, Hojo’s not even here. We’ll bring the kid upstairs and lock him in one of the guest rooms for the night. He’ll get the best night’s sleep he’s ever had, we’ll get to enjoy the holidays, and we’ll let him out like nothing’s happened before the professor gets here. Everyone wins!”

A beat of silence before a nod of agreement. They both turn to look at Sephiroth, walking over as if they hadn’t been talking about him. He stares up at them as if they have, but he doesn’t think they notice the difference.

“Sephiroth, you’re to come with us. We’re moving you to a separate location for the time being, until Professor Hojo returns.” It’s the newer assistant who says this, but he has absolute confidence now that he has a course of action and a colleague to guide him. After a nudge from his coworker, the two turn their backs to Sephiroth and begin walking away. Without a second of hesitation, he follows their command after hopping down from the table, trailing silently behind.

Sephiroth hasn’t seen the mansion proper outside of its lab and basement, but he keeps his eyes forward, rather than on the new and unfamiliar walls before him. He’s led to a door that one assistant opens for him. It’s a big space, smaller than the lab, but to have just to himself it’s the biggest he’s ever seen. The two assistants share eager looks with each other, now more sure that this was the right plan of action to take. 

“Stay put now. We’ll be back to take you to the lab in the morning.” The more familiar assistant says, before putting an arm around their colleague and leading him outside, closing the door behind them. 

Through the thin wooden doors, he can hear the two of them talking as they begin to make their way out.

“You think he’ll actually listen and stay where we told him to?”

“He won’t be much of a soldier if he can’t follow orders. Besides, it’s not like he can get far with a locked door.”

Sephiroth doesn’t know how to feel about that. He thinks on the words as their voices grow quieter and eventually silent as the front doors swing shut after their exit. He dwells on them in this new silence for a moment longer, before turning for the door, twisting the handle once. In their eagerness to spend time away from work, the two had neglected to actually lock him in and the door opens with a low creak.

He doesn’t plan on leaving the building proper, but he will take this new chance to explore the space around him. Sephiroth closes the door and starts to head down the same stairs the two assistants went down to leave. He overlooks the large exit doors in favor of going down one of the hallways, bunching his nose up at the dust and mildew that seems to cling to parts of the walls and floor. There are a few locked doors that he tries to open that he decides aren’t worth the trouble. But there is one door at the edge of the hallway that does give when he tugs on it. That one he does open and step into.

This part of the mansion seems to be better taken care of, or at least more frequently inhabited. The two chairs look well used, with faded print cushions resting on the seats. On the one small table is a plate of wrapped food of some kind, stacked with a note reading “enjoy these all before the professor sees ;)! Happy Hanukkah!” sticking to the wrapping. Sephiroth doesn’t know what Hanukkah is, or, more importantly, what type of food it is. He pulls back the wrap, careful not to crumple the note and takes on of the pieces out. It’s round, with white dust covering the top and some sort of filling coming out from the top. He pokes it lightly and tastes it curiously. It’s sweet and tastes like a fruit, though he doesn’t think he’s gotten to try it ever before. 

Curiosity only growing from that small taste, Sephiroth bites into the treat. Almost as soon as he does, a miniature cloud of the white powder falls onto his clothes and onto the floor. As his panicked gaze falls to the floor, he sees that the powder has been dropped in other places in the room, on the cushions, the floor, and on the table itself. There must have been several others to have come in and enjoyed these. The thought makes him relax, the dough and its filling no longer feeling like a weight in his mouth and he finishes it up with a smile. At some point, the various personnel that dart in and out of this place sat down and enjoyed the very same food that Sephiroth is now experiencing for the first time. Some of them may have come in alone, may have been talking with a colleague or friends, or they may have even been the one to write the note themselves, taking one before spreading their generosity to others. He smiles at the idea, enjoying the idea of that connection of companionship. After finishing eating, he shakes his clothes gently, watching more of the powder fall onto the ground, leaving behind his own mark in this space. With any luck, if any of the remaining powder is noticed by the assistants, they’ll write it off as nothing more than dust.

With that, he grabs two more, balancing them carefully in one hand while he uses the other to reseal the remaining food. He doesn’t spend anymore time looking around, instead carefully going back up the steps to the room that he has to himself. After lightly closing the door behind him with his foot, Sephiroth looks at the room around him and notices the window for the first time. When he walks closer to it, he notices that the outside looks almost pure white. It’s falling from the sky, like a thicker, heavier version of the powder on the treats he has in his hands. It’s on the ground, in the trees, on the window sill, covering everything as far as he can see it. 

He pulls himself up onto the ledge to press himself against the glass. It’s cold, like the swipe of antiseptic wipes against his arms. There’s condensation on the glass that he presses a finger against and traces a shape into. He stares at the simple doodle he’s made before wiping a hand off on his shirt so he can finish eating. The two he has are just as good as the first and they leave him feeling warm and satisfied. 

It’s late enough that the bed looks appealing, far softer than anything he’s ever slept on before. But he looks around the room for something to do, stopping when his eyes land on a candle and a match box. He brings them over to the ledge, striking a match against the candle and watching the flame grow onto the wick. Sephiroth looks at the little fire he’s made before turning back out to the white world outside the window. This is the best night he’s ever had, the only way that it could be any better is if he had someone to share it with.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays!! The title is from Michelle Citrin's "Left to Right" and the Hanukkah desert that Sephiroth was able to enjoy were Banora White sufganiyot! I hope you all enjoyed (especially my gift recipient!)


End file.
